Yeoseodo, an Island on the Southern Territorial Waters Starting Point, Designated as Island of the Year in 2025

 

- MOF and MOIS designate Island of the Year to raise the importance of territorial waters starting point

 

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Kang Do-hyung) and Ministry of Interior and Safety (MOIS) have designated Yeoseodo—an inhabited island in Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do—as Island of the Year 2025.

 

 Located in the middle of Wando and Jeju Island, Yeoseodo is part of Cheongsan-myeon, Wando-gun in Jeollanam Province. It is a small island with area of 4.19㎢ and coastline of 13.33km, and is home to about 100 residents. It features rocky cliffs on the beach and various types of tropical forests, creating an outstanding landscape. The stone wall surrounding the village is considered one of Yeoseodo's representative assets.

 

 MOF and MOIS have designated one of the seven inhabited islands that serve as territorial waters starting point as Island of the Year every year, starting with Gageodo, Sinan-gun in 2023. Last year, Sangwangdeungdo, Buan-gun, was designated.

 

 Islands that serve as the starting point for territorial waters are located on the outermost part of Korea, representing the starting point for determining the outer limits of Korea's maritime jurisdiction according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. They are of great importance in terms of not only maritime territory but also national defense, security, ecology, and environment. Of the 23 islands that serve as Korea's starting point for territorial waters, 7 are inhabited.

 

 Inhabited islands that are the starting point of territorial waters but have not yet been designated as Island of the Year will also be sequentially designated by 2029. The program aims to increase the pride of the residents living on the island and inform the public actively of the importance of the island as the starting point of territorial waters.

 

 "The government is systematically managing Korea's 2,918 uninhabited islands and surrounding waters by conducting continuous on-site surveys in accordance with the Comprehensive Management Plan for Uninhabited Islands; in particular, it establishes a special management plan for uninhabited islands at the starting point of territorial waters to strengthen the management of the maritime territory," said Kim Myeong-jin, Director General of International Cooperation Policy Bureau at MOF.

 

 Meanwhile, MOIS, which has been implementing the Special Act on Support for Outlying Islands including Ulleungdo and Heuksando since the 17th of this month, plans to provide more systematic support to 43 outlying islands including Yeoseodo.

 

 "We will ensure that the value of islands that are the starting point of territorial waters—which are important security locations—is well-communicated to the public. We will continue to increase practical support for improving residential conditions so that the residents of islands that are the starting point of territorial waters can live with pride," said Noh Hong-seok, Director of the Balanced Development Support Bureau of MOIS.